noah's ark.

Today, I took P down to Noah's Ark to check out the animals and to squeeze in some outside time in between thunderstorms. It was very, very hot, but we had a great time. We saw lions and tigers and bears. Oh my, they were big, grand creatures. P has just learned to roar, so he got a lot of practice in. He even roared at the monkeys. They just ooh ooh ahh ahh'd right back. They were really cute monkeys, but also really loud and obnoxious. I never realized how much raucous they make. Anyway, probably our favorite animal was the pig. Some of you may know that Taylor's family just recently said their goodbyes to their pet pig, Priscilla. (a.k.a. Pork Nasty) Pigs are like dogs. They just hang around. They love people. They love to root. And they hate to get their toenails clipped. (Unless you give them a beer.) It was great to hang out with Noah's Ark's pig.

We watched him root for some mushrooms.


I think we may have startled him a little.


Then we later caught him taking a snooze break in the woods. This sleeping beauty did not even flinch when we got close to take pictures. He just snored louder.


P found some ants in this stump that were not listed on the map as Noah's Ark residents. Thank goodness they weren't the red kind. He handled the stings rather well. Just a little itching, then he forgot about the whole incident.


His juice box must have been mighty refreshing after our hot and humid tour of the grounds.


We had a great time meeting all of the animals. The admission was free, but our donation was definitely worth the great experience we had. Check this place out if you haven't already. They are doing great things for endangered animals and neglected children.

make a wish.

Today was one of those days spent with P that I will cherish forever. One of those days that I wish I could wrap up in a pretty little package and tuck it away safely in my pocket, a keepsake to remind me of just how much I love my little boy. Yes, today was one of those incredible, I never want to forget days.

I love fresh produce and have always been a supporter of shopping locally, long before "Shop Local, Shop Henry" ever got started. (I love this initiative, by the way.) It is the little man that started this once small town. And it is the little man whom I will forever support. Sorry, I will get off of my soapbox now. Anyway. We headed over to the local farmer's market at Heritage Park to pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables and I wanted to let P get outside a little, since it's been raining for two days. We picked up some delicious organic blueberries from a farmer in Newnan. We also picked up some fresh-from-the-stalk sweet corn from a farmer from inside our own county lines. As usual, P waved and talked to just about everyone there. He even met a girl. A girl with a guitar. A girl with a guitar that played him a song. A girl with a guitar that played him a song and sang to him. I think he's in love. She was the sweetest thing, and her music wasn't half bad, either. By the way, she made the comment that P looks like he'll be a drummer one day. Great. I better get to sound-proofing our house.

After the farmer's market, we walked over to the other section of the park and found this great little bridge that crosses over a beautifully green, lush bog with a tiny little stream in the hollow.


P found the height of the bridge amazing. And the stream was calling his name. "Phoenix. Phooooeeeenix. Please throw leaves and sticks my way. Phooooeeeenix." He finally succumbed to the stream's calling.





He watched each and every leaf and stick float downwards until it landed in the stream. And then he watched them slowly float away. With each and every stick and leaf that he dropped, I made a silent wish. I wished that there will be many more days like these to come.

car wash.

We take a weekly field trip to the local drive-thru car wash. It gives us something to do on these long, hot summer days. And we leave with a shiny, clean car :) P absolutely loves the wash part. The vacuuming part....not so much.

Pre-soak.


Scrub, scrub, scrub.

Rinse.


This car wash amazes little P. He just soaks it all in. (Soaks....hehehe.)


Almost dry. Wait. Wait. Wait.


And, go!


Now to the vacuums. "What is that thing, mama?"


"Mama. Mama! MAMA!"


And, finally, the floor mats.


Mama, car, and baby leave the car wash feeling happy and squeaky clean. My car loves me for our weekly car washes.

monkeyin' around.

We took P to the Atlanta Zoo on Sunday. P loves animals. And he loves to make animal sounds. (Except, most of his sounds sound exactly the same. Like a dog barking. It's so cute.) And because he is such an animal lover, we just knew that he would love the zoo. And he did.

His daddy let him sit on his shoulders so he could see the lions.


P was absolutely enthralled by the giraffes.


He watched the giraffes from the fence.


He watched the giraffes from the nearby rocks.


And then he decided to make himself just downright comfortable, and he watched the giraffes while seated.


My favorite exhibit was that of the gorillas. They were so docile and observant. And they even posed for the camera. (So, of course, they were my favorite!)


I kept calling the gorillas monkeys, which got me in a lot of trouble with my hubby. I was just trying to get P to relate to the animals. He loves Curious George, so I kept telling him that this particular gorilla was George.


In retrospect, I realize that gorillas look nothing like monkeys, and that in trying to help my little man make the connection, I probably confused him worse. Sorry, P.

Since it was 98 degrees, we only stayed at the zoo for about two hours. We bought season passes, so we will be sure to go back very, very soon. Maybe after it cools off a little.

baby shower.

I helped host a baby shower on Saturday for my dear friend Catherine. The shower was a huge success and a lot of fun! Aren't baby showers so much cooler than wedding showers? I think so. All of the oohs and ahhs over the cute and tiny baby stuff. I just love them! The mom-to-be got a lot of great essentials for baby K. It's amazing how much cool stuff has come out since baby P was born.

My husband and Catherine's husband were college roommates way back when at UGA and she and I met the summer after my freshman year of college and have been great friends ever since. Isn't she just glowing?


And here's some pictures of some of the details.

Flowers.


Yummy petit fours from Mcentyre's Bakery in Smyrna. They are sooo good.


Jaycie made a super cute diaper cake. She is uber crafty.


The parents-to-be are not finding out the baby's gender, so we all had a good time at the shower guessing what the sex of the baby will be based on how high/low she's carrying, how she feels, etc. It's all theory, but it's still fun trying to guess. (I think it's a girl!) Either way, that baby is going to have the greatest parents! I can't wait to meet baby K come September!

sixteen months.

Seriously silly. That sums up my little P at sixteen months old. He is a natural born comedian. He cracks us up all day long. Yet, he has no idea how funny he is. He takes himself rather seriously. He is still extremely accident prone. As a matter of fact, he fell down the driveway again yesterday and added a new bruise to his already scarred forehead. But he is tough. He "dusts himself off" and keeps on going. He's a trooper. All boy.

super slider.

Like I said before, P is loving the playground these days. He has recently mastered the slide. And to be quite honest, it makes me extremely nervous. But nervously proud. My little booger is growing up.

He walks up the 4 steps to the platform. Sits on his bottom, but only because his mama reminds him to. (Otherwise, he will slide down on his belly. Or backwards.) Then he scoots right down the slide, rather fast and with no fear whatsoever. Then he runs back around to the steps and repeats the process. At least 50 times. He gets a tad bit dizzy after about round three. But he just keeps on truckin'. Like sliding is his job.




Leaving the playground is bittersweet. He is so exhausted from his fifty cycles of stair-climbing and sliding, yet he wants to give it one more go. There's always tomorrow, little man.


Oh my goodness, I love this age. He is so full of energy and is discovering new things everyday. He keeps me on my toes. I am having a blast!

busy bee.

Just wanted to send a big thanks to my mother-in-law and my mom for always pitching in to watch P when my schedule gets hectic. It will be a busy, busy next couple of weeks, jam-packed with baby and wedding showers, weddings, doctors appointments, and meetings. Our moms are so generous of their time, and P is so lucky to have them in his life. Thank you mom and Rita. Y'all are the best!

And just for kicks, here's a picture of P cheesin' for the camera. (You know I cannot post without including at least one picture of my sweet pea.)

words of encouragement.

My little P is growing like a weed. And he is getting more and more courageous everyday. But, he needs a little encouragement from his momma.

You

can

do

it

P!

The playground has become his stompin' ground. It is his turf. He makes the rules. And all of the other kids follow his lead. Interesting....

listen closely.

This world never ceases to amaze my sweet boy. We stumbled across these beautiful black-eyed susans while playing at the park today.


I smelled their fragrance. P listened to them.


I wonder what they were saying....

If my sweet son heard the susans talking to him, I wanted to listen, too. And so I did.

In this fast-paced life of mine, I sometimes forget to soak it all in. To listen to my surroundings. It is refreshing to see the way Phoenix looks at things with sweet innocence and wonder. He keeps me grounded. Just another reason why I love him so much.

date night.

My mom, dad, and aunt Liz came over tonight to watch little P while Taylor and I went out for a date night. We had a nice dinner, but found our conversation topics repeatedly drifting back to our little man. Our world revolves around him. And we would not change a thing.


We love our little family of three. Life is good.

wagon, oh wagon.

How do I miss thee.

Gosh, P has been needing some good ole' fashioned wagon time. They have been apart for far too long. Ahhhh....their reunion was so sweet.


Pure bliss. Content and wagon happy.


P sure does love his wagon.

old.

I love old stuff. I'm not much of a collector of old stuff, but I love to peruse antique shops, thrift stores, and flea markets. And I especially love old buildings. Buildings with hundreds of years of history. Structures with stories to tell. Barns and churches are my favorites. The more derelict and dilapidated, the better.

I have been eying this particular church for at least five years. It stands on a lonesome corner property at the fork of a backwoods highway and a red dirt road, somewhere between Jackson and Monticello, Georgia. Every time I round the bend and the church comes into view, its beauty grabs my attention and begs me to stop. For five years, I've just kept on driving. But last Sunday, something made me stop. And I'm glad that I did.


With no steeple or stained glass, I wasn't even certain that it was a church. Until I found this sign. It's a little too rusted to read, but it says something about "meets 4th Sunday". According to my father-in-law, churches back in the day would only gather once a month for service.


I think P liked the church as much as I did. He loved the steep, concrete steps that led to one of the four church doors. Two in the front of the congregation, two in the back. We didn't dare try to enter, though. We were already trespassing.


It is delightfully plain, with its rusted tin roof and weathered clapboard siding. But it is simply beautiful. And old. Which makes it that much more exquisite. Our stop was cut short due to the setting sun and a drained camera battery, but I will definitely be revisiting this place sometime very soon.

narcoleptic.

I feel like I stole a patio table and six chairs from Target last week. They were practically giving them away at 75% off, and being the discount diva that I am, I could not resist. And my sweet, darling husband had the pleasure of assembling the table and six chairs this past weekend. He must really love me. Of course, P had to be right in the middle of the work zone.

Or more like right on top of the work zone.


"P, what in the world are you doing?"


Turns out, he was lying down to take a nap. He has become quite fond of the cat nap. He reminds me a little of the narcoleptic guy in the movie Rat Race. P will be in the middle of some hard core playing. He stops, lies down wherever he is, says "night night", and closes his eyes. Just for a couple of seconds. Then opens his eyes, stands up, and immediately kicks back into high gear. Hilarious! Any surface will do. The concrete driveway, a patio table, his wagon. He's not picky. Just sleepy.

And here are the two boys taking a break.


Oh, and I better not forget this next picture. Taylor really wants me to include him on the blog. Here's the little monster that tears up our yard at the lake.

Meet Andy the armadillo.


At least this time, we caught him in the neighbor's yard. He's a funky lookin' thing, huh? Beware, Andy. My husband's a little obsessive about our thick, green grass. Search for your grubs elsewhere and no one will get hurt.